Ground coffee helps prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s

Using mice bred to develop symptoms mimicking Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at the University of South Florida found that caffeinated ground coffee offers protection against the memory-destroying disease that is not possible with other caffeine-containing drinks or decaffeinated coffee.

GCSF is a substance greatly decreased in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and has been demonstrated to improve memory in Alzheimer’s mice. In both Alzheimer’s mice and normal mice, treatment with caffeinated coffee greatly increased blood levels of GCSF.

A yet unidentified component apparently synergizes with the beverage’s caffeine to increase blood GCSF. The new study does not diminish the importance of caffeine to protect against Alzheimer’s, rather it shows that some chemical component exists in caffeinated ground coffee which works together with caffeine to increase blood levels of GCSF.

Researchers have observed that other sources of caffeine, such as carbonated drinks, energy drinks, and tea, do not provide the same level of protection against Alzheimer’s as coffee. The researchers concluded that neither caffeine alone or decaffeinated coffee provided this effect. Ground coffee is evidently the best source of caffeine to counteract the cognitive decline of Alzheimer’s (instant coffee was not tested).

According to the researchers, no other Alzheimer’s therapy being developed comes close being as cheap or as effective as ground coffee, however according to this study, 4 to 5 cups of coffee per day would be required to help fend off the onset of Alzheimer’s.